According to the American Diabetes Association, 23.6 million children and adults in the United States suffer from the condition, a total of 7.8 percent of the population. If diabetes isn't managed properly, long-term complications can result including neuropathy, blindness, kidney failure and amputations.
Diabetes is a disease that causes the body to not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone necessary to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy.
"That's the major burden of type 1 diabetes, that people have to think about that at all times, measure frequently -- as frequently as they can with the available technology -- and make insulin adjustments all the time," professor of Systems and Information Engineering at the University of Virginia, Boris Kovatchev, Ph.D., said.
New technology like continuous blood glucose monitors which monitor blood sugar levels in the body, and insulin pumps, which dispense insulin without the need for injections, have made management of the disease easier.
Researchers at the University of Virginia and abroad are testing a computerized system called the "artificial pancreas" that continuously regulates a diabetic patient's blood glucose.
The system is composed of an insulin pump and a continuous blood glucose monitor. A computer uses an algorithm to do the calculations necessary to deliver the appropriate amount of insulin.
Researchers have successfully tested the artificial pancreas on 23 patients. In clinical trials, patients underwent two 24-hour admissions, one in which they controlled their own blood sugar levels in physician-supervised sessions, and one in which they relied on the artificial pancreas system.
Patients had identical eating sleeping and activity patterns during both hospital stays. Results show when patients controlled their own blood sugar, 23 episodes of low blood sugar occurred. When patients used the artificial pancreas, five such episodes took place.
"The primary outcome of the study was five-fold reduction of low blood glucoses, or nocturnal hypoglycemia, and the secondary outcome was increased overall glucose control within the target range that was set in the study," Dr. Kovatchev said.
The algorithm used by the artificial pancreas allows for personalized treatment for each diabetes patient. It was co-developed by researchers in Virginia and Italy.
A large, multi-center clinical trial of the artificial pancreas involving kids ages 12 to 18 is set to begin in January.
